KeepBest Gaming claim Wild Rift League Asia title after sweeping Nigma Galaxy
The Chinese team did not lose a single game in the Wild Rift League Asia's Finals stage en route to the championship.
China's KeepBest Gaming (KBG) have won the inaugural Wild Rift League Asia Championship after they soundly swept the Philippines' Nigma Galaxy (NGX), 4-0, in the tournament's grand finals on Sunday (23 July).
With their victory, KBG claimed the lion’s share of CN¥1 million (~US$138,000) out of the tournament's CN¥2,000,000 (~US$276,000) prize pool. Meanwhile, NGX took home CN¥400,000 (~US$55,000) for finishing in second place.
KBG came into the competition as the runner-up of the Wild Rift League China Conference after going against 11 other teams for a slot at the Championship tournament.
The Chinese team dominated the Round-robin Stage, coming out on top with a 3-0 record, even beating the China Conference's first-seed J team. This allowed them to secure a spot at the Grand Finals.
NGX, on the other hand, came in as the representative of the APAC Conference, beating out seven other squads from their region in the process.
The Finals featured four teams: KBG, NGX, J Team, and South Korean APAC Conference runner-up KT Rolster in the Round-robin Stage, where NGX finished second with a 2-1 standing.
NGX then outlasted J Team 3-2 in the semifinals to make it to the Grand Finals. This marked the first time a non-Chinese team made it to the Grand Final of an S-tier international Wild Rift tournament.
KBG sweep NGX 4-0 to claim inaugural Wild Rift League Asia title
Game one of the Grand Finals between KBG and NGX saw the Filipinos get off to a surprisingly strong start, winning in teamfights and skirmishes to gain a 14-7 kill lead through most of the game and opening up the KGB base.
However, the Chinese team were able to outplay the Filipino team in a crucial fight for the Elder Dragon, wiping out the opposition even though they were unable to take the Drake. With all members of NGX down, KGB marched down the NGX base and took the first game in 20 minutes.
With a better team composition in game two, KBG scaled their champions earlier, dominating teamfights against NGX. And after 17 minutes of a relentless siege, KBG took the second game with a 19-2 kill lead.
The Chinese team remained dominant through the rest of the series, with NGX unable to respond to the Chinese team’s onslaught. In game three KBG secured another victory in 16 minutes and with a 13-5 kill lead, giving them a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Despite NGX's best efforts to mount a comeback, KBG simply could not be denied in a 13-minute rout in game four as they became the inaugural Wild Rift League Asia champions.
KeepBest Gaming Roster (WRL China Conference)
Xu "KG" Shihan
Gao "DaT" Jianlin
Yu "Anran9" Jinghang
Ma "Xiaoma" Juntao
Wang "Uu" Guhao
Nigma Galaxy (WRL APAC Conference)
Sean "Hide" Baguino
Justine "Juschie" Tan
Aaron "Aaron" Bingay
Golden "DemonKite" Dajao
Reniel "Dr4w" Angara
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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